Time That Remains
by love.was.still.around
Summary: Sabaku no Temari is a well-known songwriter for Sabaku no Records. After her mother dies, she leaves her town and country with her brother Gaara to live with her distant cousin. She now attends Konoha's prestigious art school where students specialize in theatre, music, or art. Temari has to discover her place or fight to climb to the top. AU.
1. Prologue

Chapter 1

Temari and Gaara had just put the last of their belongings in the small trunk of her car. It was impractical for moving, but it was the only thing available. Temari switched her car into neutral and quickly looked up at the dark windows behind her. They had to leave quickly and quietly. They both pushed the car halfway down their long drive way, when they got it started and drove off into the dark. Temari saw a light turn on behind her, but she just pushed the gas pedal down farther and left without a second thought.

"It's a 3 day trip." Gaara said softly from beside her. He was looking ahead into the vast darkness, but had a slight worry to his tone of voice.

"I know." Temari stated simply.

"Where will we be stopping to rest?" He asked. Temari just smirked. Gaara was an insomniac and wouldn't sleep anyways.

"We aren't. If we stop they can catch us faster." Temari said. She gave her youngest brother a smile, it didn't hide her nervousness and concern, but it was genuine.

"How did you find him?" Gaara asked. He didn't know much of what was going on except Temari promised he would never get hurt again. He had bandages that covered a good portion of his left forearm, pink in some spots and white in others.

"He found me. I did something I am not proud of and he got me out of it before I got sucked any deeper." Temari said quietly. Her lips we pressed tightly together.

They were quiet for a little while, driving at dangerous speeds along the back roads of their already deserted country. They were finally leaving the shit hole that they had unfortunately been born into, something very few people accomplished.

Temari spotted the cop before it was too late and swore under her breathe. The flashing lights turned on almost instantaneously, causing Temari to speed up instead of slow down. Gaara quickly flipped a few switched that turned off all the lights in and around the car. They had outran cops before doing things that were more reckless and dangerous than this.

Temari let a laugh as she got away and the lights eventually could no longer keep up. She slowed down enough but still kept it over the speed limit posted. The roads were less patrolled the farther they got from the city.

"He can report us missing." Gaara stated, and saw the glance of worry across her face.

"I am a legal adult," Temari said then looked at the red head beside her. "And I am your legal guardian because you are my brother but not his son."

They both heard the small exhale that Gaara released as she said that. Neither one had noticed he was holding his breath in slight fear.

It had been almost a day and a half of travel when they had crossed the border. They watched slowly as the pale brown began to turn into a darker brown than finally into a lush green. Temari had slowed to the speed limit, they were out of their reaches.

Temari followed the directions her cousin had sent to her to meet him a café in a small town about 4 hours away from the main village. Gaara was nervous to meet this mystery man. He had found his sister and convinced her he was her cousin from another country?

"How old is he?" Gaara suddenly asked. Looking at the side of Temari's face as she pulled into the café's parking lot.

Temari pondered. He looked really young, but often sounded older than he looked. "Let's say 28. You'll see what I mean when you meet him."

They walked into the café, ordered a couple sandwiches and drinks and sat down. They had a large sum of money thanks to their father. He had set up accounts for them when they were younger, and had forgotten about them. Temari had found a way to quickly withdraw and transfer their money into a Konoha bank without troubles.

A chime of the bells hung above the door signalled when someone came in. Temari had looked immediately and seemed to notice the man right away.

He stood fairly tall, with silver hair that seemed to defy gravity. He had a scar over one eye and a mask covering the bottom of his face. The people behind the counter gave a wave and asked how his day was. He replied and walked over to the table Temari was sitting at.

"I didn't believe you when you said you would be here today. I figured it would take a couple tries." The man said. He then turned to look at Gaara, who had been looking at him rather intently.

"Hatake Kakashi, I would like to offer you my home for you and your sister. It's a safe place where you will not be found." He said. Gaara just barely missed the small smile on the man's lips that were covered by the cloth.

Gaara's lips turned upwards just slightly in the corners. He somehow knew he could be protected by this man, and knew it would be a good place for him and his sister.

They left the café and follow Kakashi as he drove his truck down back roads, away from the center of the main village. They eventually found a midsized house that was tucked in the trees. It looked very old, but well built.

It wasn't big like their old house, but not too small either. It was just perfect enough to call home.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Temari stood in front of the full length mirror that was also her closet door. She had on a dark blue pleated skirt that hit just above the knee. Her white blouse was a little tight in the bust, but still covered her stomach when she lifted her hands above her head. She also had on a dark blue vest and a blue ribbon that she had tied into a loose bow around her neck.

She gave a sigh, she use to wear a similar outfit back in Suna, but it was red. She felt suffocated by the thought of Suna. Both she and Gaara had been living in Konoha for a couple months now. It took a while to get use to the culture and the weather.

A knock at her door startled her. She walked over and opened it to see Gaara. He was wearing dark blue pants with a white dress shirt and a blue tie. It made his bright red locks stand out against it. Temari laughed lightly and tousled his hair.

"We shouldn't be late." Gaara stated.

"We won't be late. I promise." Temari said as they walked down stairs. Temari could sense that Gaara was slightly nervous. He was now attending a high school and was in a different country all together.

They both walked into the kitchen and stopped dead in their tracks.

"Surprise!" Kakashi, his boyfriend Iruka, and their adopted son Naruto yelled in unison.

Temari and Gaara had met Iruka as soon as they got to Kakashi's house. He was shorter than Kakashi and has a permanent scar across his nose. His hair was in a ponytail that seemed to stick right up. He welcomed them and said if they ever needed to talk to him he was there for them. Kakashi mentioned that Iruka didn't know all of the details of their past lives.

They didn't meet Naruto until almost a week or so after they had moved in. He had been away to a cottage with his friends and had never once called home. He was happy that he had family somewhere, even if it wasn't biological. He had blonde spikey hair and cerulean blue eyes. He also had scars on his face that looked similar to whiskers. Naruto also was really energetic and seemed to love talking.

"We made breakfast." Naruto said stating the obvious.

"I made breakfast. He just sat impatiently waiting so he could eat." Kakashi said as the three of them sat down.

There were 2 empty chairs left, but Temari ignored it and filled 2 mugs with coffee that had just finished brewing. She passed one to Gaara and started drinking the other one. Kakashi laughed lightly, looking at the 2 siblings that had made themselves at home in a short period, but still weren't accustom to new things.

"I told you they would appreciate the coffee." Iruka said with a smile, as he drank from a cup that contained a similar liquid.

"No offence Kakashi, but I just don't eat breakfast anymore." Temari said, she tried to make it seem like it was nothing, but he suddenly looked concerned.

"Why not?" Naruto asked offhandedly

Temari wasn't sure how to answer it. Naruto was told they were staying to receive better education and live here if they wanted later in life. He believed it, being slightly gullible.

"We either have brunch later during our day or have a big lunch. We aren't accustomed to having 3 meals a day." Gaara stated, making up something random that would keep the blonde pre-occupied.

Temari and Gaara said quick farewells as they left to drive to school. Naruto was taking a bus, because he would rather be with his friends, which they didn't take offence to.

Temari had replaced her very expensive, sleek muscle car with a more practical and durable, 4x4 truck. She loved her car, but she felt as if she would stand out driving it around town. The truck was a popular make and model that she often saw during her time in Konoha.

Gaara chuckled when they pulled into the parking lot of the school and saw cars that would have put her car to shame. They were all lined up along one side of the parking lot, while the other side had cars and trucks that were older than the model she had.

"At least I won't track attention." Temari stated.

"I'm not so sure." Gaara warned as he watched as many people tried to look at the truck that seemed to be new. The side windows were tinted and prevented people from seeing inside except from the front.

"Well, freshman are new every year." Temari stated, getting out of the truck.

They walked in silence beside each other to the school's auditorium. People stared and whispered at them as they walked by. Temari expected it, many of these students grew up here their whole life. They would know each other, and those who lived in their neighbourhoods.

The auditorium was huge. It held all of the students and teachers and still had room for more people. Kakashi had told them that they held concerts, art shows, talent shows, plays and musicals all the time. Many people of importance, such as talent scouts, were invited as they often were looking for a new up and coming musician or actress.

The principal walked across the stage to greet the school. She had blonde hair and a rather large bust that many boys seemed to be ogling. But she gave a strict only business aura and seemed to want to get this over with as much as possible.

"Welcome to Konoha's Private School of Prestigious Arts. We welcome back those from last year, those who have been selected and a few lucky students who have arrived from other countries. As you know, you have assigned lockers with your assigned schedule that will be placed in them shortly after this assembly. Your student handbook is also in there, freshman and new students please read through this as we have many rules and guidelines here." Tsunade said in a loud and powerful voice.

Temari was surprised at how well she had caught everyone's attention. No one was keeping themselves occupied with something else. She half-heartedly tried to listen but was looking at the students and trying to figure out who would be in what kind of arts program.

"And finally, a tradition that many of the older students will remember. All freshman and first timers to the school will demonstrate their talents to the coordinator of their major program." The elder woman said with a mischievous grin.

Art students please proceed to build C, located in the south east corner of the campus. Theatre students please proceed to the smaller auditorium located in building B. Music students will stay here, freshman and first years please proceed to the back stage." Tsunade directed then made her way off stage.

Temari and Gaara got up and moved with the slow moving crowd, Naruto had somehow found them was pulling them towards the back. He was saying something but Temari couldn't hear them through the noise of people moving and talking.

The back was quiet. A lot of people looked very nervous, there was also a very faint smell of vomit. Gaara was gone and Temari couldn't find him or his bright red locks anywhere.

"Temari." The redhead called from the end of a long line. He seemed to be standing by Naruto, who was talking with a group of boys that looked to be his age.

Temari walked to where Gaara was standing and stood confidently by his side. He was at the very back, and everyone seemed to be lined up ahead of them.

"We have to perform." Gaara stated simply, with a small smirk on his face.

"It's the school's tradition for first years. Too many people would write up fake acceptance letters to show their parents and sneak into the school to learn. Now they do it to figure out a person's strengths and weaknesses." Naruto said ecstatically. A boy ahead of him with raven coloured hair scoffed.

"What are we going to do?" Gaara asked, looking up to his big sister, whom was shuffling through a folder that had hundreds of sheet music in it. Some were done, others in different stages of completion. Temari never left it out of her sight, in fear someone would copy it.

"Well I have this one, or this one. They will both sound terrific with your voice and both require nothing more than an acoustic guitar." Temari said, as she tried to discreetly show him the songs.

Gaara took them and flipped through and hummed to himself quiet enough that even Temari would have to strain to here. She noticed that a boy that Naruto was standing near was checking her out. He jumped slightly when he locked eyes with her, then turned away and answered a question someone had asked him.

"This one," Gaara showed her. Temari smiled, she knew he would pick that one, but wasn't sure if he would like it.

They stood behind Naruto warming up their vocal chords, which many people had started to do by that point. Temari ignored the stares she was getting from people ahead of her as she started singing random lyrics from songs she had written and songs on the radio.

"They say it's what you make. I say it's up to fate. It's woven in my soul, I need to let you go." Temari sang confidently. She heard clapping from the front of the line and realized almost everyone was looking at her.

"Work in progress?" Gaara asked with a smirk. People had begun talking after Temari stopped singing, who had moved to the nearest wall and started writing words on a piece of paper that had scribbles and bolded words written across it.

"What do you think?" Was all Temari had asked as she came back to stand beside him.

"I think that is awesome. I didn't know you could sing or write songs or do anything that had to do with music." Naruto said with a huge smile.

Temari saw that one of his friends were about to say something when the stage manager was asking what instruments they needed and other things that had the entire groups attention.

"I think you need to guard that book." Gaara mentioned quietly. He had worry and concern written across his face. Temari understood well, they were at a school where people would die to be able to write a song that could be a hit.

Temari watched with fascination as Naruto and, what she assumed were his friends, made their way on stage. There were 4 of them all together, Naruto who seemed to be the bassist. The boy with the raven hair and onyx eyes was the lead singer and lead guitarist. The boy who was checking out Temari had black hair that was tied up into a ponytail that stuck up on end. Their drummer had red triangle tattoos on his cheeks and smelled of wet dog.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I would like to announce the act of Mazo no Kurasi, a band including the students, Inuzaka Kiba, Nara Shikamaru, Uzamaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke." The MC said into the mic before turning it over to the boys.

Temari was amazed when they started playing. They had potential talent, but it still needed improvement. They definitely had confidence when it came to playing in front of people, especially when they were only being judged.

_The good life is what I need_

_Too many people stepping over me_

_The only thing that's been on my mind_

_Is the one thing I need before I die._

Girls in the crowd screamed when he sang. Temari had to admit that Sasuke, who was said to be the lead singer, had a fairly good voice. Gaara seemed to scrutinize him and was watching every little thing they did.

Temari was turning up a guitar that Gaara would be using later, as she watched what was happening before her.

_All I want is a little of the good life_

_All I need is to have a good time_

_Oh, the good life_

_All I want is a little of the good life_

_All I need is to have a good time_

_Oh, the good life_

_The good life_

Gaara looked at Temari who was watching them intently.

"Do you think they could make it?" Gaara asked mildly curious. Temari was turning her acoustic guitar that she would be using during their set. It might have been slightly difficult, but she was a pro at it by now.

Temari shook her head. "There is tension among them, but they can't break it off because it would harm their friendship."

Gaara nodded in agreement, they watched as everyone seemed to enjoy the show they were putting on.

_I don't really know who I am_

_It's time for me to take a stand_

_I need a change and I need it fast_

_I know that any day could be the last_

_All I want is a little of the good life_

_All I need is to have a good time_

_Oh, the good life_

_All I want is a little of the good life_

_All I need is to have a good time_

_The good life_

_Hold on, hold on, I always wanted it this way_

_(I never wanted it this way)_

_Hold on, hold on, I always wanted it this way_

_(We didn't ask for it this way)_

_I always wanted it this way_

_The good life_

"Their lyrics are something though." Temari surmised. She liked to analyze songs to find hidden meaning or struggles that an artist was going through.

"They want something unattainable." Gaara stated. He knew as much as Temari did, which made the 2 of them an unstoppable duo.

"Only one person wants something unattainable. The rest wanted this to be for fun." Temari said and Gaara shook his head. He knew Temari was right most of the time, but this time he felt as if she was wrong.

_All I want is a little of the good life_

_All I need is to have a good time_

_Oh, the good life_

_All I want is a little of the good life_

_All I need is to have a good time_

_The good life_

Everyone was clapping and cheering as they exited the stage. Temari felt like it would be hard to compete with, but you could never underestimate anyone in this business.

Temari confidently picked up the acoustic guitar and followed Gaara with his own onstage. The crowd was still gushing over Mazo no Kurasi, and how they were awesome for first years. They all quieted before the MC had grabbed the mic. Temari assumed it was from being from another country. No one knew them or how they would be like.

"And for our final act of the day, this brother and sister duo come all the way from Sunagakure. Give it up for Sabaku no Gaara and Temari." He said with slight unease as the audience was quiet.

Temari and Gaara sat on stools with a mic in front of each of them. They both had an acoustic guitar and were watching the crowd silently before looking at each other with a small grin.

Temari started playing the chords, with Gaara playing his at the same time. She gave another smirk before he began to sing.

_Hey brother, there's an endless road to re-discover._

_Hey sister, know the water's sweet but blood is thicker._

_Oh, if the sky comes falling down for you,_

_There's nothing in this world I wouldn't do._

The school was shocked to say the least. Gaara had an amazing voice, but rarely sang as he preferred editing songs than singing them.

_Hey, brother, do you still believe in one another?_

_Hey, sister, do you still believe in love I wonder?_

_Oh, if the sky comes falling down for you_

_There's nothing in this world I wouldn't do._

_Ah, what if I'm far from home?_

_Oh, brother, I will hear you call._

_What if I lose it all?_

_Oh, sister, I will help you out!_

_Oh, if the sky comes falling down for you_

_There's nothing in this world I wouldn't do._

_Hey, brother, there's an endless road to re-discover._

_Hey, sister, do you still believe in love I wonder?_

_Oh, if the sky comes falling down for you_

_There's nothing in this world I wouldn't do._

_Ah, what if I'm far from home?_

_Oh, brother, I will hear you call._

_What if I lose it all?_

_Oh, sister, I will help you out!_

_Oh, if the sky comes falling down for you_

_There's nothing in this world I wouldn't do._

When Temari and Gaara finished they received a standing ovation from the crowd. No one had expected them to be this good but they were.

Temari grabbed Gaara's hand and they both bowed before exiting the stage.

* * *

><p>SONGS:<p>

Demons – Imagine Dragons  
>The Good Life – Three Days Grace<br>Hey Brother - Avicii


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Temari and Gaara were surrounded as soon as they got off stage. Everyone was congratulating them and saying how good they were. Temari kept thanking them, and tried to pull Gaara out of the crowd as she had sensed he had become uncomfortable.

"Temari! Gaara!" Naruto had yelled from a couch that was slightly hidden from their sight. Everyone moved and let them go over to the younger blonde that called them. "You guys were awesome!"

"Hey thanks," Temari said lightly. Gaara stood beside her and was quiet. He watched the boys beside them, all with girls hanging off them. "It's nothing really. Just a little something I picked up back home."

"Where did a nice piece of ass like you, learn to play like that?" The drummer had asked. He had a girl under each of his arms gushing over, they pouted and glared at Temari when they realized he was no longer paying attention to them. He let out a protest when he got a smack up the head by a pinkette who had just made her appearance.

"Can't you stop degrading the female population for at least 15 minutes and have a normal conversation?" She said sternly, she then shooed away the other females that protested before leaving.

"Like I said. It was just something I picked up at home." Temari said simply brushing off his comment.

"Let me introduce you to the gang." Naruto said excitedly. He jumped from the couch and bounded over to the drummer.

"This is Inuzaka Kiba." The boy was a brunette with red triangles tattoos on his cheeks. He also liked to flash his canines when he smiled and looked like he had a toned body underneath his shirt. "He is our drummer, and really likes females if you haven't already figured it out. But he isn't that bad of a guy once you get to know him."

"This is Uchiha Sasuke." The next kid seemed to be staring at Gaara, who was staring back. He had raven coloured hair that was up in a ridiculous style Temari had never seen. He seemed to have an attitude but also seemed to always get what he wants. "He is our singer if you haven't guessed and our lead guitarist. He likes to write our songs sometimes too. He probably won't talk much because he is like that, but it's nothing personal."

"Lastly is Nara Shikamaru." The last boy seemed to lift the book off his face and wince slightly at the bright light. It looked like he was sleeping beforehand. He had black hair in a single ponytail at the top of his head and deep brown eyes. Temari felt him staring at her, which made her squirm slightly underneath the scrutinizing gaze. "He is our guitarist but is also really lazy. He also is really smart, and says everything is troublesome. Especially women."

"Troublesome." The boy said quietly before moving the book back to cover his face. Everyone laughed, even Sasuke had a slight smirk on his face.

"I'm Haruno Sakura," The pinkette said introducing herself to the siblings. "I'm the current manager for their band and have gotten them gigs all over town. I am also in the theatre production classes here. I want to manage sets and produce live action films based after these guys get signed."

Temari let out a small scoff and immediately regretted it when everyone seemed to look at her with a confused look. Gaara looked at Temari then had a small smirk on his face.

"What?" Naruto asked in the silence.

"It's nothing. I was just thinking about your performance earlier and what Sakura was saying about you guys getting signed. Just because you guys are good, doesn't mean you guys will get signed." Temari stated.

"What do you mean? I have sent hundreds of their demo's to different studios all over the country. You have seen the crowd's reaction and they are awesome." Sakura said defending her friends.

"You don't get signed just because you are good and the crowd loves you. If you actually knew anything about it you would know what I mean." Temari said then turned to Gaara who was tugging on her shirt.

"We need to get going. You are going to be late." He said and started to walk away.

Temari waved a small good-bye before leaving the group of freshmen behind. They all watched as the siblings left without saying anything.

* * *

><p>Naruto watched them leave until he felt someone hit his head.<p>

"Ow, what the hell?" Naruto yelled turning around. He glared at Sasuke who was glaring at him.

"You truly are an idiot." Sasuke said shaking his head.

"What did I do now?" Naruto asked, rubbing the back of his head.

Sasuke looked over to Shikamaru who has removed the book from his face. He tossed the book towards Sasuke who gave it to Naruto. Naruto looked at the book that had a picture of a man and three children no older than 6.

"She is the daughter of the best record producer in all of Wind Country." Sasuke summed up for him.

"Damn. That's why she is so fine." Kiba mentioned from the couch, he was as relaxed as Shikamaru was before everyone had left.

"We are in Fire country though. Why would we go to Wind country to get a record deal?" Naruto asked utterly confused

Naruto ended up on the floor as Sakura slapped him across the back of the head. Everyone gave a chuckle as Naruto glared at her from the floor.

"She can give us a better chance at getting in." Sasuke said with a determined look across his face.

"Oh yeah. I can talk to them both! They will definitely say yes to me!" Naruto said excitedly jumping up and walking towards the door.

"Troublesome." Shikamaru muttered getting up and leaving as well.

"He's right." Sakura told Sasuke as they left together. He looked over at the pinkette with a puzzled look on his face. "Shikamaru, he's right. Why would someone who can obviously write songs come to Fire country when they could have gone to an even better place in their own country? And why would they come to Konoha when there are cities that offer better education than ours?"

Sasuke stayed quiet taking in what Sakura was saying. He let a sigh then ran his hands through his hair.

"Who cares? If they can get us in then that's good enough for me." Sasuke said walking away from Sakura.

"Ok." Sakura said in a small voice as he got farther.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Temari was sitting on the roof of Kakashi's house. She was thinking through everything that had happened during the day. Kakashi had warned her about the risk of going to a school where someone may recognize her at a moment's notice. He was right about that. It didn't even taken a day's time before someone had found out who her father was.

She heard Naruto's words ringing in her ears. Asking, pleading, begging her to talk to him and give him a demo. She knew it would happen, but hoped it wouldn't be this soon. He would find them and drag them home. She promised Gaara she would keep him safe and this was how, now it was all going to hell.

Temari didn't move when Kakashi sat down beside her and looked up into the night time sky.

"I promised you guys would be safe. I don't intend to go back on my promise." Kakashi said softly.

He placed a bowl in front of Temari, which contained the rice and chicken she had left behind when she stormed off. She couldn't help but finish eating it, even if it was cold now. She ate in silence and Kakashi stared in the distance.

"I told him your father sent you here because he no longer wanted you or Gaara. He understands that pain, his father had to give him up. He promised that he would no longer ask you guys about it, and Naruto is serious about his promises." Kakashi spoke as Temari listened.

"What about his friends?" Temari asked. She had set down her empty bowl and was playing with a small bottle out of her purse. They were a curse that was handed down in her family, and she was lucky enough to get it.

"You have to hope for the best." He said as he stood up, taking the empty bowl with him.

"Hope." Temari whispered to herself, as she lied down to see more of the sky.

She never knew one word could make anyone wonder so much for the future. She had to hope that no one would find out. She had to hope that they wouldn't be found. She had to hope that she could find a way into this business that she had grown up to love. She just had to hope that everything would go the way she wanted it to, but they was rarely the case.

"Hope?" Gaara asked sitting next to her confused. Temari jumped slightly not knowing he had shown up. She didn't even realise she was saying the word to herself over and over again.

"Why do people always say '_you have to hope for the best' _when everything that happens was always just destined to happen and we have no control over it." Temari asked suddenly to her younger brother. She knew no one could possibly have an answer to such an absurd question.

"It depends on their beliefs." Gaara stated, which stunned Temari for a moment. "Some people believe that what they do should be based on a set of rules, stray away from those and there are consequences. Others believe that you do what you do based on the stars, where the planets are and your birthdate. Others just live because they know one day they will die, they don't believe in anything."

Temari laughed and then tousled Gaara's already naturally messy hair. He gave her a rather blank look and was slightly confused.

"When did you become so wise?" Temari asked with her famous open mouthed smirk.

"When I had to grow up in a basement. With no windows or clocks I never knew what time it was, I just read the books that I found on the shelves." Gaara said looking up towards the sky that once held Temari's attention.

Temari's smirk quickly fell from her face. She quickly looked back up to the night sky and sighed. She felt horrible that Gaara had to live under horrible conditions because of their other brother. She could have stood up for him, but it wouldn't have done any good regardless. She hated knowing that she could have gone down sooner. He could have felt safer sooner. They could have left sooner.

"It's not your fault." Gaara said quietly.

"I could have done something." Temari said back in a sadden tone. She felt sad but her eyes didn't even water at the thought. She just felt guilty.

They sat in a knowingly silence. Everything that either of them had been through could have been prevented sooner by the other. Everything that they did to protect the other only seemed to make their matters worse than it was before. Everything that happened between each other, was a burden that no amount of medication, recreational drugs or alcohol would erase.

It was decided in the silence that they would always be there for each other. And that they needed to go to bed as it slowly got later into the night.

* * *

><p>They had never expected the classes to be so in depth with their programs when they finally looked at their schedules. Konoha Arts, which was the widely known nickname for their school, had classes that specialized in all of their talents. They were selected for classes by the teachers of the classes after their performance, and then were approved by Tsunade herself.<p>

Temari had Performance Practical, Song Writing 101, General Musical Arts, and Historical Music. They seemed pretty interesting to her but then again, anything music related was.

Gaara had Performance Practical, General Music Arts, Vocal Arts 101 and an individual study class. He wasn't surprised that he would be in some of the same classes as his older sister. It gave him a slight comforting feeling knowing that she wouldn't be far.

Naruto was jumping around for joy when he had said almost all of his band mates had the same schedule as him. He didn't tell either of them what he had, saying he wanted to surprise them and hope for the best.

"Hope." Temari whispered to herself. She thought it was a Konoha thing, wanting to give everything a false sense of security before things would go awry again.

Temari had Historical Music first thing.

She took notes without much of a choice, trying to take in the rather dull information from a monotonous teacher. He was talking about the different periods of music and how they would affect the world and music later in life.

She had to stifle a yawn and keep her eyes open just a little while longer. The class bore her to tears honestly. Most people didn't mind not knowing about this information anymore.

Gaara had his Vocal Arts 101 class first.

He didn't mind singing, it just wasn't his favourite. The class was about perfecting it and being a great singer, something he cared less about.

"Gaara," The teacher called upon him. He looked up and realized that he hadn't heard the question being off in his own world.

"I wasn't listening." He stated without shame. It happened to the first few people that morning.

The teacher chuckled, laughing it off that his class didn't listen instead of being mad. "What song were you singing yesterday? I would like to compare your voice to the artists."

"It doesn't have a name." Gaara stated slightly uncomfortable. "And you will not find it on any online site as it is an original song in itself. It was written by my sister."

The whispers that were happening around the room suddenly stopped and the teacher wore a puzzled look. Gaara just sat there, knowing someone would ask something stupid.

"I am amazed. You have so much potential as a singer, and you chose to sing songs that your sister wrote. Don't get me wrong they are also amazing songs but you could achieve so much more." The teacher began.

Gaara quickly tuned him out, not wanting to listen to him saying he could be amazing without his sister.

It wasn't until the bell rang that he noticed Sasuke staring at him. It was a cold stare, filled with dislike and jealousy, Gaara deduced. Gaara did what he did to most people who gave him odd looks, he gave a sneer and turned away.

_It was going to be a long day. _Both Gaara and Temari thought to themselves as they travelled along to their next classes. They had both found their least favourite class of the day, and was glad it was the first.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Gaara's next class for the day was his personal study.

He received a package from the guidance counselor and thumbed through the information. He had to do a project that related to the program he was enrolled in. It gave a list of examples, such as students who piqued his interest, or going through his schooling. It wanted either an essay, a video or presentation in front of a large audience.

The project was worth 80% of his grade, the other 20% is based on how he works on the project, and presents it. Gaara thought the project ideas given were all based off the school wanting to know how they did for free. He wanted to do something different, something most students wouldn't do or even think about.

He walked around the school for ideas. Walking into open classrooms that were empty and picking up random books. He looked at the walls and the pictures that were hanging on them. No ideas were coming to him yet.

He immediately turned when the door closed.

He frowned and narrowed his eyes when he saw Sasuke standing there.

"Can I help you?" Gaara asked as he returned to the book in his hands. He kept Sasuke in his peripherals, knowing that keeping someone out of your sight could become bloody.

"Yes." Sasuke said simply as he also looking at a book not far away from him.

Gaara looked up from his book over to the raven haired boy. He didn't worry, it made people over exaggerate things. He was slightly on edge, not knowing the boy besides there run in from the other day.

"Aren't you going to ask what?" Sasuke asked looking up and meeting the red-heads eyes.

Gaara closed the book that was in his hands. He turned to face him directly.

"If it was important, I wouldn't have to ask. If you have to wait for me to say something beforehand, then it is not important to me." Gaara stated as he started to walk past the kid that was slightly irritating him.

He felt the hand on his shoulder and the slight pull. He can't remember what happened, or how it happened, but Sasuke had his head and upper body against the desk with his arm against his back. Gaara immediately let go and backed away, he felt his heart pounding and his head hurt.

"We will talk another time." Gaara stated as he touched his temple. He left the room without another thought and pulled out his phone.

It didn't take long before Temari picked up.

"Come to room 2034. We can talk in quiet." Was all she said before the phone beeped and disconnected.

Gaara walked to the room, making a few wrong turns before finding a studio room the Temari was sitting in while strumming her guitar. She didn't look up until he locked the door and sat across from her.

"It happened again." Gaara said, his voice expressing his worry.

Temari's head snapped up. She immediately looked all over his body for any bruises, scratches or cuts. She gave a small sigh of relief when she realized that he was not hurt.

"Did you stop yourself?" Temari asked looking in his eyes. She smiled suddenly and he knew she knew that he had. She saw the subtle things among people, and he was no exception.

"Is this your classroom?" Gaara asked looking around the room.

"No, just the studio room. I got permission to be here because I think better without people around." Temari said as she scribbled things down in her book. It always had random ideas and thoughts, random notes written and even some lyrics from other songs that had given her inspiration.

They stayed quiet for a little while. Temari was strumming different notes as she sang the words to the song she was working. Sometimes who would walk around and hum random notes and write down words. It was her process, if she had a thought, she could make it into a song with the right amount of time.

"The teacher wanted to show the class my songs." Temari stated. She was lying on the ground with her legs propped against the wall, her vest was undone, the ribbon undone and her skirt had fallen forward to show her shorts she was wearing underneath that day.

"Did you let him?" Gaara asked inspecting as his sister rolled in her stomach and wrote down something quick and flipped back to a different page, then back again.

"I said I would show the class if they weren't a bunch of incompetent pricks who think mooching off me would benefit them. Partially the reason I asked to be here." Temari stated quickly. She quickly let out a growl and scribbled her page and went to a fresh one.

Gaara moved over to where she was now sitting cross legged chewing on the end of her pen.

"I can't figure out this verse. It just doesn't sound right with this one." Temari said showing him and spreading about 4 sheets out in front of them.

Gaara recognized the small four lined verse she had boxed, meaning she liked it. She had written down thoughts around it, words and one liners she might want to add. Gaara opened a small book he had dedicated to song writing. He opened to a new page and wrote down her thoughts neatly, and then reorganized them into groups that he thought fit together and worked with her ideas.

"What is this song about?" Gaara asked. Her thoughts were all over the place, something unusual for her.

"I haven't figured out yet." Temari stated.

The bell rang, signalling for lunch and they both cleaned their area up and left the room. Gaara was carrying her books as Temari was doing the buttons up on her vest, while holding her ribbon in her mouth. Gaara snickered when she had finished to realize she had done them all up one, making it uneven.

"She wouldn't have to embarrass herself with doing her buttons up if she just kept it in her pants like the rest of the student here." Someone had said none too quietly as Temari redid her vest buttons.

Temari flicked her ribbon against the locker beside her, causing a loud snap to echo throughout the hallway. She then quickly tied it up around her neck and casually fixed her outfit as she smiled her big toothy smile before walking down the hallway.

Gaara smirked as he handed her books back and walked beside her as everyone gave them a weird look.

"I figured everyone wanted to see what gorgeous looked like. Thanks for the attention." Temari called as she turned the corner and waved to the still stunned population.

They walked to a nice little corner in the cafeteria and enjoyed their food. It consisted of just small portions of fruits and vegetables. Nothing huge.

"You guys don't eat a lot do you?" Naruto said loudly as he sat next to Temari. Gaara was on her other side at the edge of the table.

It didn't take long before the rest of Naruto's friends showed up. Kiba sat across from Gaara, Shikamaru beside him and Sasuke on the side furthest from Gaara.

"It's not a big deal." Temari said as she silently munched on her carrots. She looked at all their meals, which consisted of fried and greasy foods.

"Are you veterans or something?" Kiba asked before he took a huge bite of a burger dripping with grease.

"Vegetarian," Shikamaru muttered from beside him. He was looking out the window behind them, while playing with the fork he had for his fries sitting in front of him.

"No the other one. They always announce who they are and annoy people." Kiba stated spluttering food all over the table.

"Vegan." Shikamaru said simply. He wiped his arm with a napkin off the table. "Troublesome."

"No. We are not vegan or vegetarian." Temari said simply. She grabbed a slice of cucumber and looked over to Gaara whose hand was shaking on the table.

Temari glanced from him to Sasuke who was staring at Gaara with what she described as a death glare. She threw her half eaten carrot and bounced it off his forehead. He jumped and looked down at the carrot that was now on his tray.

Everyone looked at Temari who had a smirk on her face as they were getting up to leave. Naruto had a confused look on his face. Sasuke was staring at the carrot. Kiba was trying not to laugh. Shikamaru was watching Temari and her brother leave.

* * *

><p>**Author Note<br>I didn't mean to make this so long for just this small of time, I got a little carried away. Glad if you enjoyed it. I will try to update whenever I have free time. I am a fulltime college student with a part time job and very little time to myself.

Thanks to;  
>Mockgirl<br>Marlin  
>Kimblee Whitehead<br>Dreilide  
>For the reviews since I first started this story.<p>

Thanks to;  
>daniisteaparty<br>aeladriel  
>Kimblee Whitehead<br>For following the story so far.

Thanks to the rest of you for reading!


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Temari and Gaara had eaten alone in the comfort of outside. It calmed Gaara down and they weren't pestered by Naruto and Kiba's insane questions. They both arrived early to their next class, which was General Music Arts, something they were both looking forward to.

The teacher, a tall man with black hair and a black beard to match. He was a friendly guy and was watching Temari and Gaara as they wandered around the room. He greeted the two siblings as Sarutobi Asuma, but they could call him Asuma.

"Why is there no desks?" Temari asked as she picked up a set of drum sticks.

"I don't find them relevant to have them in my class when everyone is going to be playing random music all the time." Asuma said from the lone chair by the window. There was his desk which seemed to be covered in papers and pencils, but no work sheets for the class.

"What do you mean by that?" Temari asked as she twirled the drum sticks around in her fingers. She was looking out the window.

"Students need a time where they can try out whatever with new people to just be creative. I asked for this class so I could watch everyone be creative without pushing them to do something specific." Asuma stated as he pulled a cigarette box out of the drawer of his desk and a light and lit one.

Temari nodded then looked over to her younger brother, who was writing something down in a book that nobody was allowed to read.

"By the looks of both of you, I would assume you are Sabaku no Gaara and Temari." Asuma stated as he opened the window beside him to let the smoke out.

They just both nodded but stayed quiet. Asuma nodded and didn't say anything else. The bell rang for class and people started to file in the class, chattering about things that happened over lunch. Most quieted down when they saw Temari and Gaara.

Asuma sat in his chair until everyone was in and then he closed the door.

"Welcome everyone to General Music Arts, I am your teacher Sarutobi Asuma. You can all call me Asuma." He said then went into his rant about what they were allowed to do in the class. He then started going over the class list, marking who was here and who wasn't. He had just barely gotten through is when there was a knock at his door.

When he opened it in came Kiba, Naruto, Sasuke and Shikamaru. Kiba immediately started talking to girls who screamed when they walked in, they were hung off his every word. Naruto and Sasuke started bickering about whether or not they should stop Kiba from giving out his number to the screaming fan girls. Sasuke shut up when he noticed Temari glaring at him from the back, Gaara was ignoring their presence as he wrote down what he could. Shikamaru was actually smiling slightly as he talked to Asuma before muttering something and sat down in his chair.

"Ok class, play an instrument, sing a song, do a dance. I don't care as long as you don't start a fight and don't like anything on fire." Asuma said.

At first it was chaos. Everyone wanted to play similar instruments, which even though there were lots of something, they fought over something someone had gotten first. Temari and Gaara has back towards the front of the class where there was only books.

Temari cleared off a space underneath the windows on the ledge and sat down. Gaara was looking through the books she had moved. He was sitting on the ground below her, books piled on either side of him, those he went through already and those he needs to ready still.

"How can you go through so many books so fast?" Asuma asked looking down at Gaara flipping through the pages.

"A book is just a number of pages composed of the same 26 letters over and over again. Most words are repeated as well." Gaara stated as he continued flipping through the books.

"You have a photographic memory?" Asuma asked simply.

"Photographic memory is a misconception. It's more than likely that he would have an eidetic memory, though it is more popular in children from 6-12 years." Shikamaru stated from Asuma's chair. He was looking through the window just relaxing.

Asuma laughed and walked away, leaving them at peace for the time being.

"You got that out of a book." Temari stated as she tapped the drumsticks lightly on the ledge she was sitting on.

Shikamaru stayed quiet, but looked over at the girl who was tapping on the ledge. Temari felt eyes on her and looked at the boy whose eyebrows were scrunched together. Temari mimicked his look, feeling confused by the kid who was staring at her.

"Is this day almost done? I am ready to go home." Gaara mentioned out of the blue. He was looking up at his sister. Temari looked down at him almost immediately and smiled.

"Home." Temari said then grabbed her beg beside Gaara and pulled out her book. She flipped thought pages until she found a blank one. In big bold letter she wrote HOME. Hopping off her ledge she looked around the room until she saw something in the corner nobody seemed to have touched in years. "Gaara you are a freaking genius."

Gaara tried to fix the hair Temari had tousled as she walked with her book over to the piano that had boxes and papers stacked on top of it. She pushed everything off of it, making a huge mess in the process and making a few people jump. She wiped the thick layer of dust off with her hand before pressing a few of the keys.

"Does she realize everyone is watching her?" Shikamaru asked Gaara who was watching everyone else.

"No," Gaara said look at the kid who hadn't taken his eyes off her. "When she has an idea, she forgets everything around her until she can't finish the idea she just got."

Temari played a few notes and quickly wrote them down, before continuing the process a few times. She played them in the sequence she liked before she started humming along with them. She started singing the notes before writing something down, then packed her stuff up before walking past everyone towards her brother.

She sat down and silently showed him her page before realizing everyone was looking at her.

"Why is everyone staring at me?" She asked Gaara, as everyone started to whisper things to each other.

Gaara looked at her and handed her book towards her. She looked down and gave a smirk that was short lived.

The bell rang which caused everyone to start leaving the classroom. Temari and Gaara were the last to leave.

"Temari," Asuma called over by the mess she made. "I will clean it up this time, but any other time you get a great idea, do it in another room."

Temari just laughed before leaving.

Their next class was Performance Practical, which was held in the smaller of the two auditoriums the music department had. Temari and Gaara had sat a few rows behind the rest of the class. Temari ignored the teacher as she explained what they did in the class and what they would be doing today. Instead she was trying to figure out the rest of the short lived premonition she had the class earlier.

Gaara poked her as students got on the stage and started singing covers of songs with the music playing on a CD in the background. They were encouraged to dance as well, which many of the girls did. Everyone was encouraged to go up front even if they couldn't sing very well, and if they couldn't to just explain what they usually did.

Temari ignored most of the students. Saying they weren't worth the time or effort. When Kiba got up she laughed to herself, saying she wasn't surprised he couldn't sing, but he put an effort in. Naruto was ok, with a little work he would be decent. Sasuke didn't put much effort into it, but still every girl seemed to gush over him.

Temari was particularly interested in Shikamaru, who didn't sing loud, but still sounded good. He didn't bother moving, but singing then left the stage. Temari couldn't help be smirk to Gaara and joke he might give Sasuke a run for his money someday.

Gaara heard his name and walked up to the stage without a worry. He handed the teacher a CD and told her that if he was singing a song, it was going to be an original not a cover. Temari laughed as Gaara grabbed the stand for the mic.

Gaara had taken the song they performed the day before, and edited it and added more instruments and sounds to make it more of a pop song that you can dance to. It wasn't a style he was familiar with, but wanted to try.

He sang and danced with the stand like any singer would, but it went with the song.

When he was done, it was Temari's turn to go up. She walked back stage and grabbed the cup filled with pens and dumped it out. She walked back on stage ignoring the teacher asking what song she was singing.

"I am going to do a cover of a song I heard when I was younger. Not many people will know it but it's a nice song." Temari said.

She started clapping and hitting the cup off the ground and began singing.

_I've got my ticket for the long way 'round  
>Two bottle whiskey for the way<br>And I sure would like some sweet company  
>And I'm leaving tomorrow. What d'you say?<em>

_When I'm gone, when I'm gone  
>You're gonna miss me when I'm gone<br>You're gonna miss me by my hair  
>You're gonna miss me everywhere, oh<br>You're gonna miss me when I'm gone_

_When I'm gone, when I'm gone  
>You're gonna miss me when I'm gone<br>You're gonna miss me by my walk  
>You're gonna miss me by my talk, oh<br>You're gonna miss me when I'm gone_

_I've got my ticket for the long way 'round  
>The one with the prettiest of views<br>It's got mountains, it's got rivers  
>It's got sights to give you shivers<br>But it sure would be prettier with you_

_When I'm gone, when I'm gone  
>You're gonna miss me when I'm gone<br>You're gonna miss me by my walk  
>You're gonna miss me by my talk, oh<br>You're gonna miss me when I'm gone_

_When I'm gone, when I'm gone  
>You're gonna miss me when I'm gone<br>You're gonna miss me by my hair  
>You're gonna miss me everywhere, oh<br>You're sure gonna miss me when I'm gone_

_When I'm gone, when I'm gone  
>You're gonna miss me when I'm gone<br>You're gonna miss me by my walk  
>You're gonna miss me by my talk, oh<br>You're gonna miss me when I'm gone_

She just smiled when everyone looked confused. Gaara had a knowing look, and congratulated her when she got back. Luckily for her, the bell rang and she was able to leave before someone asked any questions. Gaara was just glad the day was over.

* * *

><p>SONGS:<p>

Hey Brother – Avicii (hinted)  
>Cups (When I'm Gone) – Anna Kendrick<p> 


	7. Bonus Excerpt: Shikamaru's Thoughts

Bonus: Shikamaru's Thoughts

When he had first heard about the two mysterious teens that had moved in with Naruto and his family, he thought it would be troublesome. He thought they would be loud and annoying like Naruto himself. When he heard one was a female, he figured they would be another fan of Sasuke's and follow Naruto to their band meetings.

He didn't see them until the first day of school, and somehow they both looked really familiar to him. He was a red head who stood at the female's shoulder, he had a slight build and was paler than her. She was fair skinned, and had her sandy blonde hair in 4 pigtails. She wasn't huge with a figure, but wasn't twig thin like some girls he knew. He noticed they shared no resemblance to each other, but remembered Naruto stating they were siblings.

He wasn't sure about how he felt about them when they waited to prove to judges that they should attend this school. The male seemed unease about being around so many people, but calmed when his sister was around. He just say a pink outline that was sitting just slightly above her skirt hem, it peaked out when she stood a certain way and it had caught his interest for some reason. It was then he realized she was staring back at him with a confused look. He looked away from her before he felt like he was drowning in her teal eyes. He thought about the colour during his set. They were teal, not green-blue or blue-green but a perfect combination of the 2.

He watched them during their set. They were amazing, but the style of the song was what caught his eye. It was unique compared to anyone else, they were from a whole different side of music. He realized they it was the culture difference and drifted off to take a nap in a chair. A book behind the couch to cover his face from the harsh light, before it reached his eyes a picture on the page he had flipped to caught his attention. It was her, yet a lot smaller and thinner.

"What are your thoughts about them?" he heard one of his band members ask during the foreigners set. He stayed quiet, wanting to nap and forget about the troublesome people.

"Nara," a voice caught his attention. When he lifted the book he saw Sasuke looking at him. Naruto and Kiba were arguing over who could sing better and started singing to prove it.

"What do you think about those two?" He asked tilting his head toward the stage.

"They are troublesome." Shikamaru said simply.

"I feel a 'but' coming at the end of your though." Sasuke said as he watched his band mates bicker, until a few girls came over.

"They are your best in to getting a record deal." Shikamaru said and showed him the book. Sasuke was smart and a school heart throb, but hated people besides a few people he could rely on.

Sasuke gave the book back to Shikamaru, who wanted to take his nap. Which he felt like he did for a small time being, until his name was called and he saw her.

He couldn't help but stare at her and wondered why. He normally thought all girls were troublesome and annoying. It couldn't help but mutter it out loud during his train of thought, and realized everyone was laughing at him.

The rest of the day was boring to him. He wanted to talk to her, know why someone who could have such a simple life would drop it all and move somewhere where Karma loved to play. She was interesting to him.

He watched her whenever he saw her the next day. He felt like she was the opponent in a game of chess, find the king and she would disappear. He hoped one day she would, she was distracting him.

He tried to watch the clouds during lunch, but sitting across from her was distracting. It was then he noticed something about the both of them. They didn't eat very much at once and didn't eat very fast. They both looked like they paled slightly looking at the food the boys seemed to be eating.

It wasn't until he was in Asuma's class did he feel like he could ignore her. It was such a slacking class that he could nap and still pass easily. He didn't end up napping, but slightly socializing with the two siblings. It was awkward at first, but he learned more about them from that class than any other class.

Gaara was a genius, he had an eidetic memory and protected his sister even if it didn't seem like it. He was always by her side, or just making sure that she was being watched.

Temari was also smart, but it seemed to be clouded by music. It was when he was able to see a glance into her note book that he realized she had a passion for writing. He witnessed her create a song in progress from such a certain word, and ignore everyone around her to do so.

What stood out were the bolded words on the inside cover of her book. **Leave What Hurts You Behind, Even If That Means Starting Over**

He kept those words running throughout his mind, even when he watched her perform a song on stage and her powerful voice took over everything.

He realized that Naruto had been lied to. They didn't leave to get a better education, they left to start a new life. But what really went through his mind, was why?


End file.
